Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-03-07

The appearance OF the AIerTimae had come to
be looked on as something Of a joke. Van
Brunt, captain of tho Minnesota, wrote home:
awe are tired of waiting for the Merrimac
and wish she would come OUT
He had his wish presently to his hearts
content
Hampton roads is an inlet Of Chesapeake
bay, between Fortress Monroe and Norfolk.
The James river empties into it, also the
Elizabeth, on which the navy yard lies The
bay or indeatation gets its name of ''roads y
or a roadstead for ships, on account of its
depth of water, being scarcely anywhere less
than tventy-three feet. 1t is about five miles
across.
The Federal vessels lay about the roads not
very near together.
"lhe Minnesota and the Roanoke were here
near Fortress Monroe, the Cumberland and
Congress were off yonder south, near the
mouth of the Elizabeth river" says the cap
tain.
About noon, Saturday, March g, the Fed
eral lookouts saw something coming down
the Elizabeth river 1t was, in fact, three
things, as they presently moved nearer 1t
was three steamers. Two of them were ordi-
nary gunboats. The other was queer looking
craft, appearing like the roof Of barn steam
ing down stream. Was this the Merrimac?
The little fleet came steaming down the river
and out into the roads Quickly the Mime
sofa and the Roanoke made ready to meet
the newcomers. The queer craft was the
Meirimac at last. The Roanoke had a broken
shaft. She had to be towed out into the
water by tugs
1t does not take long to tell the story of
what followed. The Minnesota grounded
out of range of the VIRGINIA, ard co,''1 not
be got off. 1t was ebb tide. Presently the
Roanoke grounded at the stern. The United
States navy was not worth much more then
than it is now.
The Congress and Cumberland were an
chored nearest TO the coming monitor as she
steamed out of Elizabeth river.
There was some exchange OF shots as thu
Merrimac came booming on. One shot from
her disabled several gunners on the Cumber-
land. The Cumberland was swung broadside
across the channel The Merrimac went at
her straight as an arrow and rammed her
iron beak into the Cumberlands side A
great opening was made and water poured in
a torrent into the Cumberland. Then the
Merrimac opened fire. Every shot hit the
mark, and the decks of the wooden ship were
soon covered with dead and injured. In
three-quarters of an hour the mortally hurt
ship went down in fifty-four feet of water,
carrying dead. dying and wounded with her.
Some We're picked up in boats from the shore
and a few swan to land The Cum
berland's topmast showed above wa
ter, with her flag still flying. 1t was
the turn of the Congress next. The
two companion gunboats of the Melrimac
had attacked her. Seeing the fate of the
.Ho,1a ,.I l..
of the Congress, ran her aground by means
of tugs, in order to prevent the MerriInac
from sinking her. The Merrimac, after sink
ing the Cumberland began pouring shot into
the Congress The aim of the Confederates
was marvelously accurate. The firing from
the Congress had no effect on the Merrimac's
slopingiron sides.
At 4:3O Lieut. Pendergast. seeing all was
over, hauled down the stars and stripes, and
ran up white flag in token of surrender
The Confederates sent a tug to take formal
possession.
But the Congress was under shelter of the
Union batteries at Newport News, and they
opened fire and drove the tug Off 1t is said
they did not see the white flag Then the
Merrimac poured red hot shot into the poor
old ship again. Presently she left her and
bore down upon the Minnesota.
In this interval, the crew of the Congress.
what there were left of them, escaped to
shore i'll the boats. Next morning. of the 434
brave men and true who had COMPOSED her
crew, only half answered to their names at
roll call The rest were killed. wounded and
missing.
There had come into Hampton Roads on
Friday, March 6, the naval ship ST Law
renee, sailer. Seeing how the battle was go
ing, she had herself lowed toward the
grounded Minnesota, and presently she her
self grounded Together the two helpless
vessels waited the onslaught of the iron
beaked monster. There seems to have
been inexplicable ignorance of the channels
on the part of the Federal pilots The Roa-
noke, the Minnesota and the ST. Lawrence
all ran aground.
The St Lawrence fired broadsile at the
Merrimac, which did not the slightest harm.
The Merrimac fired one single shell at the ST.
Lawrence. 1t went through the wooden shin
like bolt of lightning. Then the ST Law
renee. hors du combat, stole of like a
whipped animal UP toward Fortress Monroe.
1t was getting dark. The ram and her at
tendant gunboats drew OFF from thefigkt and
steamed to Sewell's point where they
anchored The hot shot the ram had thrown
last into the Congress had been for the pur-
pose of setting fire to her This object was
accomplished. The battered ship burned to
the waters edge About midnight the fires
reached her powder magazine, when she
blew up with a tremendous roar and that
was the end of the Congress.
"Harpcr's Pictorial History says Of the Ner-
ri:lac: No vessel that ever Aoa el had ever
Gone so greet work in a single half day
She had DESTROYED
M two powerful YES